CHAPTER 1

EKT 231
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

LECTURERS
1.

Cik Aini Syuhada Md Zain

ainisyuhada@unimap.edu.my

2.

Soh Ping Jack

04-9798873
pjsoh@unimap.edu.my

SYNOPSIS
The aim of this subject is :
to introduce the students with the basic principles
and components of communications system.
This subject will cover various topics such as:

Introduction to Communication System,

Analogue Modulation and Demodulation (e.g.
Amplitude Modulation),
Angle Modulation (Frequency Modulation and Phase
Modulation),
Digital Modulation,
Noise in Communication System, Transmission
System and Transmission Lines.

COURSE OUTCOMES
(OBE)

REFERENCES

Wayne Tomasi, Electronic Communication

Systems Fundamentals Through Advanced 5th Ed,
Prentice Hall, 2004.

Paul Young, Electronics Communications

Techniques, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2004.

Mullet , Basic Telecommunications:The Physical

Layer, Thomson Learning, 2003.

ASSESSMENT

Final Exam = 50 %
Coursework = 50 %
Test x 2
= 15 %
Lab Session
= 20 %
Lab Test
= 10%
Assignments/Quizzes = 5%

Signals and Systems Defined

A signal is any physical phenomenon which

conveys information
Systems respond to signals and produce new
signals
Excitation signals are applied at system
inputs and response signals are produced at
system outputs

A Communication System as a
System Example

A communication system has an information

signal plus noise signals
This is an example of a system that consists of an
interconnection of smaller systems

Signal Types

Conversions Between Signal

Types

Sampling

Quantizing

Encoding

Sound Recording System

Recorded Sound as a Signal

Example

s i gn al

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Definitions

Communications:

Transfer of Information from one place to another.

Should be efficient, reliable, and secured.

Communication system:

components/subsystems act together to accomplish information

transfer/exchange

Definitions (Contd)

Electronic communication system

transmission, reception and processing

of information between two or more
locations using electronic circuits.

Information source

analog/digital form

Think!

Have you ever pictured yourself living in a

world without any communication system?

Need For Communication

Importance of communication:
exchange of information between
two parties separated in distances in
a more faster and reliable way.

Information, message
and signals

Information

Message

The commodity produced by the source for

transfer to some user at the destination.
The physical manifestation of information
as produced by the information source.

Signals

A physical embodiment of information

voltage signal or current signal

Brief History in
Communication
Year
1844
1876
1904
1923
1936
1962
1966
1972
1989

Events
Telegraph
Telephone
AM Radio
Television
FM Radio
Satellite
Optical links using laser and
fiber optics
Cellular Telephone
Internet

Development and
progress

Communications between human

beings
Form of hand gestures and facial
expressions
Verbal grunts and groans

Long distance communications

Smoke signals
Telegraph
Telephone

Contd

Wireless radio signals

Triode vacuum tube
Commercial radio broadcasting

Analog vs. Digital

Analog
Continuous Variation
Assume the total range of
frequencies/time
All information is transmitted

Digital

Takes samples:

non continuous stream of on/off pulses

Translates to 1s and 0s

Analog vs. Digital

Analog Cs
Disadvantages:
-expensive
-No privacy preserved
-Cannot merge different
data
-No error correction
capability

Digital CS
Advantages:
-Inexpensive
-Privacy preserved(data
encrypted)
-Can merge different
data
-error correction

Disadvantages:
-Larger bandwidth
-synchronization problem
is relatively difficult

Advantages:
-smaller bandwidth
-synchronization problem is
relatively easier.

Basic Requirements of
Communication System

Rate of information transfer:

Purity of signal received:

whether the signal received is the same

as the signal being transmit

Simplicity of the system

how fast the information can be

transferred

the simpler the system, the better

Reliability

Elements of
Communication
System(CS)

Elements of CS(contd)

Information
The communication system exists to
convey a message.
Message comes from information
source
Information forms - audio, video, text
or data

contd

Transmitter:
Processes input signal to produce a
transmitted signal that suited the
characteristic of transmission channel.
E.g. modulation, coding, mixing, translate
Other functions performed - Amplification,
filtering, antenna
Message converted to into electrical
signals by transducers
E.g. speech waves are converted to voltage
variation by a microphone

Elements of CS(contd)

Channel (transmission media):

a medium that bridges the distance
from source to destination.
Eg:Atmosphere (free space), coaxial
cable, fiber optics, waveguide
signals undergoes degradation from
noise , interference and distortion

Elements of CS(contd)

Receiver:
to recover the message signal contained in the
received signal from the output of the
channel, and convert it to a form suitable for
the output transducer.
E.g. mixing, demodulation, decoding
Other functions performed: Amplification,
filtering.
Transducer converts the electrical signal at its
input into a form desired by the system used

Modulation

What is modulation?
a process of changing one or more
properties of the analog carrier in
proportion to the information signal.
One of the characteristics of the carrier
signal is changed according to the
variations of the modulating signal.

AM amplitude, E
FM frequency ,
PM - phase ,

Modulation (contd)

Why modulation is needed?

To generate a modulated signal suited
and compatible to the characteristics of
the transmission channel.
For ease radiation and reduction of
antenna size
Reduction of noise and interference
Channel assignment
Increase transmission speed

Noise, interference and

distortion

Noise

Internal noise

unwanted signals that coincide with the desired

signals.
Two type of noise:internal and external noise.
Caused by internal devices/components in the
circuits.

External noise

noise that is generated outside the circuit.

E.g. atmospheric noise,solar noise, cosmic noise,
man made noise.

Noise, interference and

distortion (Contd)

Interference
Contamination by extraneous signals
from human sources.
E.g. from other transmitters, power lines
and machineries.
Occurs most often in radio systems
whose receiving antennas usually
intercept several signals at the same time
One type of noise.

Noise, interference and

distortion (Contd)

Distortion
Signals or waves perturbation caused
by imperfect response of the system to
the desired signal itself.
May be corrected or reduced with the
help of equalizers.

Limitations in
communication system

Technological problems
Includes equipment availability,
economic factors, federal regulations
and interaction with existing systems.
Problem solved in theory but perfect
solutions may not be practical.

Limitations in
communication system
(contd)

Physicals limitations

Bandwidth limitation
Measure

of speed
The system ability to follow signal variations
depends on the transmission bandwidth.
Available bandwidth determines the
maximum signal speed.

Limitations in
communication system
(contd)

Noise limitation
Unavoidable.
The

kinetic theory.
Noise relative to an information signal is
measured in terms of signal to noise ratio
(SNR).

Communication system
design

Compromise within:
Transmission time and power
SNR performance
Cost of equipments
Channel capacity
Bandwidth

FREQUENCY AND
WAVELENGTH

Cycle - One complete occurrence of a

repeating wave (periodic signal) such
as one positive and one negative
alternation of a sine wave.
Frequency - the number of cycles of a
signal that occur in one second.
Period - the time distance between
two similar points on a periodic wave.
Wavelength - the distance traveled by
an electromagnetic (radio) wave
during one period.

PERIOD AND FREQUENCY

COMPARED
T = One period

time

One cycle

Frequency = f = 1/T

Frequency and wavelength compared

+
T
0

time
f = 1/T

distance

CALCULATING WAVELENGTH
AND FREQUENCY
= 300/f
f = 300/
= wavelength in meters
f = frequency in MHz

(f = 300/)
Frequency
300 GHz

30 GHz

VHF UHF SHF EHF

Millimeter
waves

10-4 m

10-3 m

10-2 m

10-1 m

1m

10 m

102 m

103 m

104 m

105 m

106 m

107 m

Wavelength

3 GHz

HF

300 MHz

MF

30 MHz

LF

3 MHz

VLF

300 kHz

VF

30 kHz

ELF

3 kHz

300 Hz

30 Hz

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

FROM 30 HZ TO 300 GHZ
( = 300/f)

LOW AND MEDIUM

FREQUENCIES

Extremely Low Frequencies - 30 to 300 Hz

Voice Frequencies - 300 to 3000 Hz

Very Low Frequencies - 3 kHz to 30 kHz

Low Frequencies - 30 kHz to 300 kHz

Medium Frequencies - 300 kHz to 3 MHz

HIGH FREQUENCIES

High Frequencies
- 3 MHz to 30 MHz

Very High Frequencies

- 30 MHz to 300 MHz

Ultra High Frequencies

- 300 MHz to 3 GHz
(1 GHz and above =
microwaves)

Super High Frequencies

- 3 GHz to 30 GHz

Extremely High Frequencies

- 30 GHz to 300 GHz

300 GHz

Cosmic rays

Gamma rays

X-rays

Ultraviolet

Visible

Infrared

Millimeter
waves

0.4 x 10-6 m

0.8 x 10-6 m

10-5 m

10-4 m

10-3 m

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC
SPECTRUM ABOVE 300 GHZ
Wavelength

OPTICAL FREQUENCIES

Infrared - 0.7 to 10 micron

Visible light - 0.4 to 0.8 micron

Ultraviolet - Shorter than 0.4

micron

Note: A micron is one millionth of a meter.

Light waves are measured and expressed
in wavelength rather than frequency.

TYPES OF
COMMUNICATIONS
TX

Channel

TX

RX

RX
Channel(s)

RX

TX

Simplex:
One-way
Duplex:
Two-way
Half duplex:
Alternate TX/RX
Full duplex:
Simultaneous
TX/RX

COMMUNICATIONS
SIGNAL VARIATIONS

Baseband - The original

information signal such as audio,
video, or computer data. Can be
analog or digital.

Broadband - The baseband signal

modulates or modifies a carrier
signal, which is usually a sine
wave at a frequency much higher
than the baseband signal.

Various forms of
communication system

Broadcast: radio and television

Mobile communications
Fixed communication system- land
line
Data communication-internet

Frequency Spectrum
&Bandwidth

The frequency spectrum of a waveform

consists of all frequencies contained in
the waveform and their amplitudes
plotted in the frequency domain.
The bandwidth of a frequency spectrum
is the range of of frequencies contained
in the spectrum.It is calculated by
subtracting the lowest frequency from
the highest.

Frequency Spectrum
&Bandwidth
(contd)

Bandwidth of the information signal

equals to the difference between the
highest and lowest frequency
contained in the signal.
Similarly, bandwidth of
communication channel is the
difference between the highest and
lowest frequency that the channel
allow to pass through it

Power gain
Signal level gain

signal gain

In Engineering Problems, we have known

the term signal gain / mechanical
advantage;
Examples are chain pulley block, cantilever,
gear, amplifier, transformer.
Voltage amplifier: Av= Vo/Vi.
Transistors current gain: = ic/ib,
Chain pulley block: weight lifted/weight
applied.
Transformer: secondary voltage/primary
voltage
gear box: output torque/input torque.

Power gain

It is the ratio of output power over input

power.
Ap = Po/Pi.
If the energy is consumed in doing a work,
Power gain is always 1.
Example is transformer, chain pulley block,
gear boxes etc have power gain less than one.
In amplifiers, the apparent power gain may
be more than one. The signal power is
amplified. DC electric power is transformed
into signal power.

In signal gain:

The advantage or, signal gain may be >1

though the power gain is < 1.
At first instance, it appears that there is
no apparent relation between signal
gain and power gain.
It is because the friction of the load in
which the power is fed, is not accounted.

Power and voltage gain in

communication
In communication, due to known
characteristic impedance of the channel,
the power and voltage gains become
explicit.
It is designated in terms of decibels, dB.
Power gain in dB = 10 log (P o/Pi) dB.
Voltage gain in dB = 20 log (Vo/Vi) dB.
Here if power gain < 1, voltage gain <1.

Power gain in dB =10 log (Po/Pi) dB.

Voltage gain in dB = 20 log (Vo/Vi) dB.
are absolute gains
power ratio Po/Pi = 10,000 = 40 dB
Voltage ratio Vo/Vi = 100
= 40 dB.
See that
Po/Pi = (Vo/Vi)2 Term is power

(Po/Pi) dB = 2(Vo/Vi)dB

Alternatively:
Power gain

= 10

(gain in dB/10)

Voltage gain = 10 (gain in dB/20)

Examples:
A 64 dB gain means 106.4 = 2.5212x106
watts.
An attenuation by
0.01= 10 log(0.01)
= -20 dB

Examples:

Let there be two amplifiers in

cascade. Their gains are 13 dB
and
Sum
10 dB respectively.
The overall gain is 13+10 = 23 dB.
In terms of ratio:
23 dB = 10(23/10)= 200
13 dB = 10(13/10)= 20
same
10 dB = 10(10/10)= 10
Again 20 x 10 = 200.
multiplication

Relative dB

It is convenient to express signals with

some reference such as
1mW power or,
1 V voltage level.
This permits input- and output- signals to
be expressed in terms of relative dB.
When referenced to 1mW, it is written dB m
When referenced to 1 V, it is written as
dBV

Relative dB is not a gain

but is termed as gain wrt a
reference.

5 watts signal,
In relative dB; 10 log(5W/1mW) = 36.99
dBm
500 V signal:
In relative dB; 20 log(500 V /1 V )
=
53.98 dBV